1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the generation and sale of postage payment labels at a device, whereby the postage payment labels can be used for sending all types of mailpieces (e.g. letters, parcels, goods) from a customer to a recipient.
The invention also relates to a device for the generation and sale of postage payment labels, whereby the postage payment labels can be used to send mailpieces from a customer to a recipient.
2. Related Technology
In addition to the use of locker compartment facilities for storing, for example, luggage or bank documents, the use of facilities specifically configured for delivering and picking up goods or mailpieces is known. Such electronic parcel deposit box facilities make it possible for a deliverer to deposit mailpieces into a lockable compartment of the facility, after which the recipient of the mailpiece is normally informed about the deposit. The recipient can then pick up the mailpiece from the facility at any desired point in time, for which purpose, for example, an individual access code is provided to him.
Electronic parcel deposit box facilities and associated methods have the advantage that, for the shipment to be delivered, the customer does not have to be present at his/her home address as is normally the case, but rather the shipment can be deposited in a parcel deposit box facility right away or else after an unsuccessful delivery attempt. Consequently, for instance, in case of an unsuccessful delivery attempt, no notification is left for the recipient indicating that he has to pick up the shipment during the fixed opening hours of a post office branch, but rather the parcel deposit box facility affords him an extra degree of flexibility.
Another advantage of electronic parcel deposit box facilities is that the facilities can also be used by a customer to drop off and send mailpieces. The mailpieces can be, for example, returned shipments, that are to be returned by the recipient via a transportation service provider. Another possibility is that this shipment is a mailpiece originating with a customer who deposits it into a parcel deposit box facility where it is picked up by a service provider and delivered to a recipient.
In order to implement a sending function in an electronic parcel deposit box facility, first and foremost, it is necessary to ensure correct payment transactions or payment verification for the mailpiece in question. In this context, the topic of automated payment transactions and payment verification is also of relevance for other drop-off modalities such as, for example, permanent locations operated by personnel (e.g. staffed post office branches).
For this purpose, it is a known procedure, for instance, similar to conventional locker compartment facilities, to employ a means for payment transactions such as cash slots or EC card readers or credit card readers at parcel deposit box facilities. It is also advantageous to use value labels such as stamps or other labels indicating a stored payment value which customers can apply onto mailpieces, thereby franking them. Such value labels are currently available to the customer, for example, in post office branches or via the Internet, and they are augmented by the customer with his sender's address and with the desired recipient address and then applied onto a mailpiece. A recording and verification of the value label can be carried out directly at the electronic parcel deposit box facility or in a device located downstream.
Various means are known for the acceptance of mailpieces and for the associated recording and control functions. For example, German utility model DE 201 21 302 U1 discloses a device for accepting parcels with a parcel sticker that is glued onto the parcel and that bears the address and the sender. The device comprises a deposit opening for placing the parcel onto a conveying means, integrated scales, optoelectronic devices for determining the parcel dimensions, a monitor and input means for implementing the dialog between a customer and the device. The device also has a money slot and a return change dispenser.
DE 38 08 616 A1 discloses, for example, a device for shipping packages, said device comprising a weight input means, a printer, a storage means, an input keyboard and a control device coupled thereto. The method for operating the device calls for the storage of several recipient addresses, mailing classes, postal code sections, form code sections and mailing rates, so that a user of the device can select the desired recipient data and a mailing class. On the basis of a table with the rates, a mailing rate is determined in conjunction with the weight of the mailpiece determined by the scales. The weight information can also be applied onto the mailpiece in the form of a barcode. The customer can select additional special services such as express or overnight delivery, which requires an additional fee. The device then enters the processed data into defined forms and prints these forms.